Nightlife Agenda Pick of the Week

By
Fritz Hahn

It's been almost a year since J. Dilla, arguably one of the most prolific and innovative producers hip-hop has ever seen, lost an ongoing battle against Lupus. A chameleon of a producer, Dilla pioneered many of hip-hop's foundational elements, from the ethereal jazzy textures of his early work with Slum Village and A Tribe Called Quest to the drunken electric funk of his "Welcome to Detroit" album, but as soon as it became a staple sound, he quickly moved on to something else. Dilla discography was already vast at the time of his death, but posthumous releases have only deepened his legacy. Producer Waajeed had a front row seat as Dilla built his rep on the hip-hop scene in Detroit. Now an acclaimed beatmaker himself, most notably with Platinum Pied Pipers, he'll be sharing the turntables with DJ Roddy Rod Monday night at Bohemian Caverns for the D.C. Loves Dilla tribute jam. They'll both spin selections deep from the Dilla catalog, and hip-hop insiders know that Dilla's beat tapes of demo material contained scores of unreleased tracks. You're bound to catch a lot of those treats, some of which have never been heard outside of a studio.

This is just one of the events packing this week's Nightlife Agenda column, including a Buddy Holly tribute concert, the summery Dewey Band Blowout and the coolest night of post-punk, shoegaze and indie rock you've never heard.